"Quiet Moments"...

Occasionally, there are moments when walking in the woods, the sun peeks through the trees, and the forest is quiet. It may not seem like much at the moment, but those can be the moments we most cherish.

Forest abstract, Arkansas.

Photo # IM5_7735b.

"The youth of the Blue Grosbeak"...

The beautiful immature male is enjoying his first Spring.

Notice the variety of colors at this young age. As an adult male, it will be mostly blue.

An adult is about 7" long, it has two wide chestnut wing bars, and a large beak which separates this species from it's similar Indigo Bunting. These birds like to forage for seeds, insects, spiders, fruit and especially grasshoppers.

Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea).

"Nature's Sunburst"...

The Dandelion or common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant. Generally, the flowers are edible and are known to have antioxidant properties by Native Americans and traditional Chinese medicine.

Photo # K02_8713abw3.

(c) Kelly Shipp.

"Special Moments"...

I've been fortunate to occasionally watch this White-tailed doe teach her two fawns lessons of life, what to eat, what not to eat and much more. Today, I watched them each give mom special affection. These are the moments we long to experience in nature, and I'm thankful I was present to capture this moment. It's extremely important that we protect wildlife and especially wildlife habitat, not only for our generation, but for all those that follow us.

Wild white-tailed deer, central Arkansas.

Photo # K02_9306c.

(c) Kelly Shipp

"Leaf Longevity"...

It's interesting when leaves keep hanging on even after others have moved on. Life teaches us that it's full of seasons, but there's nothing wrong with standing-out and doing your own thing, in your own time. 

Photo # K01_2241-45stkbw.

(c) Kelly Shipp

Ring-billed Gull in flight

The Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis, is a common, social gull about the size of a crow.  It does have interesting features, including white-grey wings with black wing tips, a yellow bill with a ring around it, a pale-yellowish eye and a slender wingspan around 45 inches. 

They are masters of their wings in that they perform aerobatic maneuvers and hovering when hunting for their food. Breeding adults have a white head, while non-breeding adults have some tan streaking on the head or neck (as does the one in this photograph). Two-year olds and younger have progressively more brown streaking and spots. 

This bird is an opportunistic omnivore and typically migrates south in the winter.

Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge.

(c) Kelly Shipp

 

 "Tree Mysteries III"

This is another in a series I shot of trees and their mysteries. This abstract depicts the early morning infrared light bouncing off the ground-covered snow lighting the forest from the ground-up.

Photo # IM5_7651bw1.
(c) Kelly Shipp